Retaining attachment for a slide fastener



-United States Patent F 2,836,872 RETAINING ATTACHMENT FOR A SLIDE FASTENER Theodore Di Luglio, Rochester, N. Y. Application January 3%, 1956, erial No. 562,101 2 Claims. (Cl. 24-20511) This invention relates to a retaining attachment adapted to be associated with the slider of a conventional slide fastener for releasably retaining the slider at an end of the interlocking slide fastener structure, at which the slide fastener structure is interlocked in a closed position.

Slide fasteners which are conventionally employed for closing openings, especially those formed in garments and which are opened for applying or removing the garment, are subjected to considerable wear and as a result thereof the conventional latch usually associated with the slide and the pull tab thereof becomes worn and becomes ineffective to retain the slider in a closed position of the slide fastener structure.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved form of retainer which may be readily attached to a conventional slider and to one of the parts forming the opening closed by the slide fastener, for effectively retaining the slider properly positioned for maintaining the slide fastener structure in a fully closed position.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide such a structure having detachably connected parts which may be readily disengaged and engaged by a squeezing action to thus greatly simplify the action required to effect connection or latching of parts of the attachment and release or unlatching of said parts.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a front elevational view showing the attachment in a latched position for retaining a conventional slide fastener in a fully closed position;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view, partly in edge elevation, of the attachment and including a slider;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section, showing the position assumed by certain of the parts of the attachment in effecting the unlatching or re lease of the attachment.

For the purpose of illustrating a preferred application and use of the slide fastener retaining attachment, designated generally 6 and comprising the invention, a conventional slide fastener, designated generally 7, is shown in Figure 1 applied to the fly of a pair of trousers. The slide fastener 6 includes two tapes 7a which are secured along opposite sides of an elongated opening or placket by which the garment portions 8 and 9 are divided. The two halves forming the conventional slide fastener structure 10 are suitably secured to adjacent edge portions of the tapes 7a, and a slider 11, of conventional construction, slidably engages the interlocking slide fastener structure 10 for closing said structure when the slider 11 is moved upwardly toward its closed position of Figure 1 or for opening the slide fastener structure 10 when the slider 11 is moved downwardly toward the bottom stop 12.

The attachment 6 includes a pair of hinge barrels 14 which are suitably secured to and project outwardly from an outer wall 15 of the slider 11,.and which are disposed intermediate of the ends of said slider in transversely spaced relation to one another.

, 2,836,872 Patented June 3, 1958 ice An inner handle or tab section 16 has a single transversely disposed barrel 17 projecting from one end thereof and which fits turnably between the barrels 14 and is connected thereto by a hinge pin 18 which extends through the barrels 14 and 17 to form therewith a hinge. It will be apparent that the handle or tab section 16 is hingedly mounted to swing longitudinally of the'slider 11. The other free end of the section 16 has two transversely spaced barrel portions 19 projecting therefrom and which straddle a barrel portion 20 which projects from an inner end of an outer section 21 of the handle or tab.

A hinge pin 22 extends through the aligned barrels 19 and 20 for hingedly connecting the tab sections 16 and 21, so that said outer section 21 may swing longitudinally of the inner section 16 as well as swinging longitudinally with said inner section about the hinge pin 18 relative to the slider 11.

As seen in Figures 2 and 3, the tab section 21 is preferably made hollow and has an inner wall including an outer end portion 23 which is disposed in spaced apart substantially parallel relation to the outer wall 24 of said section 21. The inner wall of the tab section 21 also includes an inclined inner end portion 25 which is inclined toward the hinge 19, 26, 22 and thus is disposed in converging relation to the end of the outer wall 24, which is located adjacent said hinge.

The female or socket portion 26 of a ball and socket type separable snap fastener 27 is disposed in the outer tab section 21 and is secured to and opens through the inner wall portion 23 thereof, as best seen in Figure 2.

The retainer attachment 6 also includes an anchoring section, designated generally 28 and which preferably comprises substantially a counterpart of the outer tab section 21. The anchoring section 28 includes an outer wall which is disposed in opposed relation to the inner I wall 23, 25 of the tab section 21 and which outer wall The head 32 of the male section of the separable snap fastener 27 is suitably secured to the inner side of the wall portion 29 and has a stern'or neck 33 projecting therefrom outwardly through said wall portion 29 and which terminates in a ball or sphere 34 which detachably engages in the resilient socket 26 for releasablyconnecting the snap fastener sections and also the parts 21 and 28, by which said snap fastener sections are carried.

The anchoring section 28' has an opposite inner or back wall 35 which is substantially flat and which is adapted to bear against a flap extension 8:: of the garment portion 8 and which is disposed above the upper end of the slide fastener. A button 36 is disposed on the opposite side of the flap 8a to the side thereof engaged by the wall 35 'and is connected to said wall 35 by a long bar 37 1' which extends through an elongated opening or slit 38 in the flap 8a. Thus, the button 36 effectively anchors the section 28 to the flap 8a and the bar 37 prevents the anchoring section 28 from turning relative to the flap 8a so as to maintain the wall portions 25 and 30 correctly positioned opposite to one another, as illustrated in the defined by the appended claims.

f V -r r V, 2,836,872

the slide-fastener 7" and "for swinging the tab section 21 to a position to be latched to'the anchoring section '281' parts 21 and: 28 :may; only be latched together when the I slidefastener 7 ,is' in-a fully closed position as seen in Figure- 1, and will; effectively functionto prevent down ward movement of the'slider 11 to open or partially open the'slide fastener 7-; When it is desired-to r'eleasethe attachmentd to effect opening ofgthe slidefastener' 7, it is not-necessary to pull the tab section 21 away from the anchoring seetion'28 to eifect disengagement of these parts ofthe sections of the resilient snap fastener 27, and which;wouldfrequently be difiicultto accomplish since the'flap 811'; would be drawn outwardly when an outward pull was exerted on the outer tab section 21. Rather, the user merely places the thumb or index finger on the inner side of'theflap 8a so that a squeezing pressure can, be excited with the thumb and index finger on the lower ends of the wall portions 24 and-35 which are disposed contiguous with the inclined wall portionsZS and 30. When this occurs, the lower edge of the wall portion 23 will fulcrum onthe lower edge'of the wall portion 29, as seen at 39 in Figure 4, so that the wall portion 23will swing outwardly and away from the wall portion 29 to thus disengage; the resilient socket 26 from the sphere 34 to thus release the tab section 21 from the anchoring section 28. This swinging movement of the tabsection21-is permitted by the hollow throat or recess 31 into which the wall portion 25 swings to assume aposition nearly parallel to the wall portion 30, as seen in Figure 4. -,The hinge 19,20, '22 forms a knee joint between the tab sections 21 and 16 so that the adjacent ends of said'tab sections and said knee joint may swing inwardlytoward the flap 8a, toaccommodate the aforedescribed outward sWinging movement of the upper portion of the tab section 21. The flexible support of the slide fastener 7 allows the upper end of the slider 11' to swing inwardly or to the right'as seen in'Figure 2, as the tab section 21 is rocked to a released position as seen in Figure 4, r e

Inreturning the slide fastener 7 to a closed position, it is only necessary to grasp the section 21 as a tab or handle to exert an upward pull on the slider 11 to effect closing of the slide fastener 7, after which the tab can be swung inwardly about the lower hinge axis 18 and latched or releasably-secured to the anchoring section- 28 by squeezing the sections 21 and 28 together tocause the sphere 34 to enter and be gripped by the spring socket 26'. 7 v

The slide fastener retainer may be formed of any suitable'rust resistant material such as certain metals including steel alloy, or may be formed of plastic or hard rubber,

If desired, the arrangement of the male and female portions ofthc separable snap fastener 27 may be reversed,

and various other modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter I claim as my invention:

tachably connecting the tab to to retain the slider against movement toward an open position of the slide fastener; said connecting means comprising separable portions of a resilient snap fastenerl including a resilient socket portion carried by the outer,

tab portion and opening'through an inner side thereof toward the anchoring member, a male portion supported 7 by the anchoring member and projecting from an outer side thereof, said tab including a knee joint disposed intermediate of the ends thereof and between the portion 7 of the tab containing the socket and the swingably connected end of the tab, the parts of the tab,betwe en which the knee joint is disposecheach comprising a rigid element, said outer tab portion comprising anouter section, the opposed sides of said outer tab section and ofsaid anchoring member including inclined portions disposed inopposed relation to one another and defining a recess, 'betweenthe ends of said outer tab section and of said anchoring member located adjacent the knee joint and between the connecting'means and the slider, and said ends of the anchoring member and outer tab section being adapted to be squeezed and rocked toward one another: 7 for disengaging the separable snap fastener sections from I one another.

1. A slide fastener retainer comprising an anchoring J gated tab, means adapted to swingably connect an inner" 7 member, means adapted to 'detachably secure said anchorf ing member to a supporting piece of material, an elon end of said tab to the sliderof a slide fastener for swinging movement of the tab relative to the slider in a direction longitudinally of said slider and slide'fastener, said anchoring member being disposed in aposition relativeto the-slide fastener such that an outer, free end portion of the tab may assume a position in overlying relation to said anchoring member when the slider is disposed to retain the slide fastener in a fully closed position, and

' connecting means having portions carried'by said anchor-' ing member and by said outertportion' of the tab for -de,-' j

2. A slide fastener retainer comprising an anchoring member, means adapted to secure said anchoring member to a supporting piece of material, an elongated tab comprising a rigid outer section, a rigid inner section and a knee joint pivotally connecting adjacent ends of said tab sections for pivotal movement thereof relative to one anotherabout an axis disposed crosswise .of the longithetab may assume a position in overlying relation to said anchoring member whenthe slider is disposed to retain the slide fastener in a fully closed position, a' separable snap fastener comprising a portion carriedby'th'e anchoring member and a portion carried by said outer tab section, said. snap fastener portions being connectedto one another, for detachably anchoring the outer tabsec-t tion to the'anchoring member, said anchoring member,

and the outer section of the snap fastener having opposed face portions located between said k'nee joint and the connectedportions of the snap fastener and spaced from one another when said snap fastener portions .areconnected to define a cavity therebetween,jsaid anchoring member and the outer tab section having opposed portions located between the snap fastener and said cavity and forming a fulcrum point about which said outer tab section rocks when a pressure is exerted against the knee joint to cause the knee joint to swing inwardly relative to the slide and anchoring member for disengaging 'said snap fastener sections, said face portion of the outer tab section swinging into the cavity when said knee joint is displaced inwardly for separating the snap fastener sections; 7

' References Cited in the file ohms: patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,671,539 r McLimans May 29, 1928 1,760,267 Carr May 27, 1930 4 1,873,736 Braunlich Aug. 23, 1932 2,111,924 Etten Mar.h22,. 1938 2,548,004 Duefrene Apr. 10, 19 51 2,675,559 Miller Apr. 20, 1954 V V r FOREIGN PATENTS 98,040 Germany .1 June 28; 1898 150,160 Austria July 10,1937 1 443,282

the anchoring member 

